Buttonhole attachment for zigzag sewing machines



y 1964 B. s. NICKERSON ETAL 3,132,611

BUTTONHOLE ATTACHMENT FOR ZIGZAG SEWING MACHINES Filed April 15, 1961 2 Sheets- Sheet l ngnm NM Q 2 INVHENTORS Basil 5. NlcKer son and [222%, GM?

Cha r/es Cure/lo @MMW ATTORNEYS y 12, 1964 B. s. NICKERSON ETAL 3,132,

BUTTONHOLE ATTACHMENT FOR ZIGZAG SEWING MACHINES Filed April 15, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [0 INVENTORS 730 Pas/l $.N1c/ferson Char/es Cure/lo ATTORNEY United States Patent "ice 3,132,611 BUTTUNHULE ATTAfiHMENT FGR ZTGZAG SEWTNG lvlAt3lllNE Basil S. Niclrerson, North Haven, and Charles Curcllo,

East Haven, Conn, assignors to Write Qorporation, New

Haven, (Iona, a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 13, 1961, Ser. No. ltl2,7ll7 2 (Claims. (Cl. l12---77) This invention relates to buttonhole attachments and relates more particularly to an attachment for a conventional household sewing machine to enable the machine operator to stitch around buttonholes. The attachment is designed for use with machines capable of effecting a zigzag stitch. The attachment does not itself form a zigzag stitch. Such sewing machines are old in the trade and are well known.

it is the primary object of the invention to provide a relatively simple and inexpensive device for attachment to a sewing machine in place of the usual presser foot, which device may be employed in the machine stitching of buttonholes.

Another object is to provide in a buttonhole attachment having a fork arm and a feed blade improved driving means of connection between the fork arm and the feed blade.

Still another object is to provide a buttonholer having improved means mounting the feed blade.

A further object is to provide a buttonhole attachment having improved means of adjustment.

To these and other ends the invention consists in the novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a buttonhole attachment embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the attachment partially broken away;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of PEG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 44- of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 77 of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic View showing the stitching effected by the device.

To illustrate a preferred embodiment of our invention we have shown in the drawings a buttonhole attachment for sewing machines, which attachment comprises a main frame consisting of an elongated base plate It) which is generally of U shape in cross section and has upstanding side walls 11 and 12. There is provided in the attachment the usual adapter 13 by which the attachment may be secured to the presser bar of a sewing machine. In the illustrated form the adapter is secured by any suitable means to an upstanding flange 14 of the base plate at the forward end thereof. Slidably mounted adjacent the under side of the base plate MB is the feed blade 15, the blade being provided with a slot 16, the function of which will appear hereinafter, and the blade being provided at its forward end with a feed foot 17 having a vertical opening 18 therethrough and pivoted to the blade as at 19 for vertical swinging movement. The foot 17 may have a roughened under surface 1'7 so that it will cling to the work and effect the movement thereof in the longitudinal forward and reverse feeding movement of the foot with the blade 15, and also in the lateral movements of the foot-carrying blade. The aforementioned lateral movements of the blade enable the machine operator to sew around the ends of the buttonhole.

The feed blade 15 is supported in part by a pair of opposing lugs Zll formed on the rear extremity of the ZialBZfill Patented May 12, lgfil base plate ill, the lugs 20 being downwardly offset and underlying portions of the feed blade 15. The feed blade is supported by these lugs for lengthwise sliding movement. The lugs 20 do not narrowly confine the feed blade l5, and the arrangement is such that the latter is permitted some lateral swinging movement. At the rear of the attachment the feed blade 15 is provided with an upstanding wall 21 formed integrally with the lower portion thereof and merging into an integral top wall 22 in upwardly spaced and opposing relation to the lower portion of the feed blade. The top wall 22 is apertured to receive the usual template 23 selected from a set, not shown, in accordance with the shape and dimensions of the buttonhole which it is desired to sew. The template is supported by marginal portions thereof which overlie portions of the top wall 22. The template 23 is upwardly recessed and provided with the usual rack teeth as at 24. In a plane above the teeth the template is also provided with an endless groove 25. Any suitable means may be employed to hold the template down on the top wall 22 of the feed blade. In the illustrated form there is provided an elongated relatively stiff wire member 26 having one end thereof pivoted to the top of the side wall 12, as at 27. The wire member 26 is swingable across the template for engagement therewith to hold it down, the other end of the wire member 2% being en-- gageable under a hook 2% formed on the upper part of the side wall ill.

To cooperate with the template 23 there is provided a pinion 29 having a threaded connection to a vertically arranged stub shaft 3-0 for support from the base plate ill. The lower end of the shaft 3i? is headed and extends with clearance into the slot 16 in the feed blade. The shaft 34) is revoluble in a bushing 32 extending through the base plate and having an annular shoulder 33 to rest on the upper side of the base plate. A ratchet wheel Ed is secured on the shaft 30 by a threaded connection, the ratchet wheel being disposed intermediate the pinion 29 and the bushing 32. As shown in FIG. 3, the ratchet wheel lies in a plane below the template 23. The upper end portion of the shaft 30 is of reduced size and extends into the groove 25 in the template for cooperation therewith as will appear hereinafter. lournaled on the bushing 32 below the ratchet wheel 3-4. is a pawl-carrying plate 35 which has an oscillatory movement as will appear hereinafter. This plate has an upstanding pin on which is pivoted a pawl 37 for cooperation with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 341. The pawl 37 is pressed into engagement with the last-named wheel by a spring 38. The last-named plate is also provided with a pair of upstanding laterally spaced lugs 3% for a purpose which will appear hereinafter. A spring arm ill has one end thereof supported from the side wall l2 as by being riveted thereto as at 41 and has the other end thereof engageable with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 34 to prevent reverse rotation of this wheel.

The pawl-carrying plate 35 is oscillated through oscillatory movements of a fork arm 42 having one end thereof pivoted, as at 43, on a lug 46 of the base plate, the fork arm being pivoted for vertical swinging movement and having the other end thereof adapted for up-and-down movements with the needle bar, not shown, of the sewing machine. The cooperation of the last-mentioned end of the arm with the needle bar assembly is conventional and need not be further described. The fork arm is provided with a slot 42* formed on a radius of the pivotal axis of the arm and registering with a similar slot 45 formed in a plate part 46 also pivoted on the pivotal axis of the fork arm 42. An adjusting member 47 extends through the slots 44' and 4-5 for a purpose which will appear hereinafter. The plate part 456 has pivoted thereto, as at 48, one end of a slide td. This slide is slotted as at 5i) 1 (FIG. 4) to receive a pin 51 fixedly supported from the wall 11 of the base plate. The pin 51 serves as a guide for the reciprocating movement of the siide 49.

The slide 49 is provided with a manual operating member 52 fixed thereto and extending through a slot 53 in the side wall 11 of the base plate. The last-mentioned slide also has a lug 54 extending between the upstanding lugs 39 on the pawl carrier 35. From the foregoing it will be manifest that when the slide 49 is reciprocated through manipulation of the operating member 52, the pawl carrier 35 is oscillated and drives the ratchet wheel 34 in a step-by-step manner, thereby driving the pinion 29 in a similar manner through the shaft 36 on which both the pinion 2? and the ratchet wheel 34 are fixed. It will also be apparent that rotation of the pinion which cooperates with the toothed template 23 fixed on the feed blade 15 effects lengthwise movement of the latter. Thus it will be appreciated that the attachment may be operated manually to position the material which is being sewn as desired prior to the commencement of the stitching operation.

When the attachment is assembled with the sewing machine the forked end of he arm 42 receives the needle bar clamp, not shown, in the usual manner. However, as the needle bar in addition to its up-and-down movements has a lateral movement relatively to the fork arm when sewing a zigzag stitch, the needle bar clamp must be somewhat longer than usual to permit this relative movement, that is, the needle bar clamp must slide lengthwise in the forked end of the arm without separating therefrom.

It will be understood from the foregoing that oscillatory movement of the fork arm imparted by up-anddown movement of the needle bar effects oscillatory movement of the plate part 46 through the lost-motion connection of the latter with the fork arm, this connection being formed by the adjusting member 47 carried by the fork arm and operating in the slot 45 in the part 46. The degree of lost motion may be adjusted by shifting the member 47 in the slot formed in the fork arm. As shown in FIG. 2, the member 47 comprises a nut 47 overlying the fork arm 42 and threaded on the stem of an element 55 having a head underlying the fork arm and riding in the slot 45, the last-mentioned head being of a diameter somewhat larger than the Width of the slot 42 The nut serves to clamp the head of the element 55 to the fork arm. The degree of lost motion between the fork arm 42 and the plate part 46 is varied to suit the particular dimensions and operating movements of the sewing machine to which the attachment is connected. It will be understood from the foregoing that when the plate part 46 is oscillated by movement of the fork arm, the slide 69 is operated to drive the pinioncarrying shaft 36 through the above-mentioned connections. The upper reduced end of the shaft 36, which is received in the groove 25 in the template 23, serves to guide the in-and-out movements of the feed blade 15 with the template and maintains the pinion 2? in meshing relation with the teeth 24 of the template.

To adjust the lateral throw of the feed blade 15 at the ends of the buttonhole in accordance with the width of the buttonhole, that is, to vary the distance X shown in FIG. 8, the feed blade 15 is adjustably pivoted on the base plate lit). To this end a pivot pin 56 is provided extending through a longitudinal slot 57 formed in the base plate It), the pin 56 being adjustable in the slot. As shown in FIG. 1, the pin 56 is located to one side of the center line of the base plate and the arrangement is such that when the feed blade 15 is in the extreme forward position thereof, shown in full lines in FIG. 1, the leading edge 58 of the top wall 2 2 of the feed blade may approach or be located beyond a plane passing through the axis of the pin 56 transversely of the base plate. Of course, the relative position of the pivot pin 56 with reference to the leading edge 56 of the feed blade when the feed blade is in the extreme forward position thereof depends upon the position of the pin 56 in the slot 57.

The feed blade 15 is provided With a lateral extension 59, and in this region the blade has a longitudinal slot 60 through which the pivot pin 56 extends. As shown in FIG. 6, the pin 56 has a head 61 underlying the feed blade 15 to support the latter. As shown in FIGS. 1, 6 and 7, an elongated manual operating member 62 is provided for adjustment of the pivot pin 56. The last-mentioned member extends through a notched slot 63 formed in the side wall 12 of the base plate. The pivot pin 56 extends upwardly through one end of the operating member 62 and, as shown in FIG. 6, has a reduced portion extending through the last-mentioned member. The last-mentioned end of the operating member 62 rests on an annular shoulder 64 formed on the pin 56, and has a lug 62 extending into the slot 57 to prevent angular movement of the member 62 in a horizontal plane. As shown in FIG. 6, a washer 65 may overlie the last-mentioned end of the operating member 62 in embracing relation to the pin 56 and the free end of the pivot 56 may be headed. To maintain the head 61 of the pivot 56 against the under side of the feed blade 15 and to maintain the feed blade against the under side of the base plate 10, as well as urge the operating member 62 upwardly in the notched slot 63, a spring washer 66 is provided in embracing relation to the pin 56 and disposed intermediate the last-mentioned end of the operating member 62 and the base plate 10.

It will be manifest from the foregoing that the slot 69 in the feed blade through which the pivot pin 56 extends permits lengthwise movement of the feed blade as well as pivotal movements thereof. The slot 16 in the feed blade which accommodates the head of the pinioncarrying shaft 30 also permits these movements of the feed blade. It will also be apparent that when the pivot pin 56 is adjusted rearwardly from the position shown in FIG. 1, that is, toward the rear end of the feed blade, the degree of lateral throw of the feed blade at the ends of the buttonhole is increased. As shown in FIG. 7, the operating member 62 is provided with an upstanding lug 67 extensible into any one of the notches in the slot 63 to maintain the operating member 62 and the pivot 56 in the desired adjusted position. When it is desired to shift the position of the pivot pin 56, the lug 67 of the operating member 62 may clear the notches to permit this adjustment of the pivot 56 when and as the operating member 62 is depressed manually against the force of the spring washer 66.

It will be manifest from the foregoing description that there is provided a buttonhole attachment of new and improved design for use with sewing machines capable of effecting a zigzag stitch. The attachment is relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture. It has comparatively few parts and will not readily get out of order. Furthermore the attachment is readily adjustable. One feature of the attachment resides in the improved driving means of connection between the fork arm and the feed blade. The pivotal and lost-motion connection between the fork arm and the plate part 46 effectively tends to prevent excessive rotation of the pinion-carrying shaft 30 on each downward swinging movement of the fork arm. If desired, the adjusting member 47 carried by the fork arm and forming the pivot of this connection may be replaced by a permanently fixed pin. Still another feature of the buttonhole attachment resides in the provision of improved means mounting the feed blade.

While only one form of the buttonhole attachment has been illustrated in the drawings and described above, it will be apparent to those versed in the art that the attachment may take other forms and is susceptible of various changes in details without departing from the principles of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. In a buttonhole attachment for a sewing machine, a base plate, a fork arm pivoted on said plate for oscillatory movement, an elongated feed blade for support from said plate for longitudinal sliding movement and lateral swinging movement, means mounting said blade on said plate for the sliding and pivotalmovernents thereof, a vertical revoluble shaft mounted in said plate, operative means of connection between the shaft and the feed blade to impart said movements to the latter including a selected one of a series of templates removably carried by the feed blade and cooperating with a pinion fast on the shaft, a ratchet Wheel fast on the shaft, a pawl car rier mounted for melting movement on said shaft and carrying a pawl engaging the ratchet wheel, and driving motion connection with fork arm, said member being pivoted on the pivotal axis of the fork arm.

2. A buttonhole attachment as defined in claim 1 Wherein the driving means of connection between the fork arm andthe pawl carrier comprises an elongated slide mounted on the base plate and having one end thereof pivoted to said member, the other end of the slide being engageable with the pawl carrier.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,649,063 Russell Aug. 18, 1953 2,660,138 Russell Nov. 24, 1953 2,890,668 Johnson et a1. June 16, 1959 2,894,467 Thomas July 14, 1959 2,910,025 Enos Oct. 27, 1959 

1. IN A BUTTONHOLE ATTACHMENT FOR A SEWING MACHINE, A BASE PLATE, A FORK ARM PIVOTED ON SAID PLATE FOR OSCILLATORY MOVEMENT, AN ELONGATED FEED BLADE FOR SUPPORT FROM SAID PLATE FOR LONGITUDINAL SLIDING MOVEMENT AND LATERAL SWINGING MOVEMENT, MEANS MOUNTING SAID BLADE ON SAID PLATE FOR THE SLIDING AND PIVOTAL MOVEMENTS THEREOF, A VERTICAL REVOLUBLE SHAFT MOUNTED IN SAID PLATE, OPERATIVE MEANS OF CONNECTION BETWEEN THE SHAFT AND THE FEED BLADE TO IMPART SAID MOVEMENTS TO THE LATTER INCLUDING A SELECTED ONE OF A SERIES OF TEMPLATES REMOVABLY CARRIED BY THE FEED BLADE AND COOPERATING WITH A PINION FAST ON THE SHAFT, A RATCHET WHEEL FAST ON THE SHAFT, A PAWL CARRIER MOUNTED FOR ROCKING MOVEMENT ON SAID SHAFT AND 